Concerning The Birth Of Samuel; And How He Foretold The Calamity That Befell The Sons Of Eli

1. And now upon the ill state of the affairs of the Hebrews,
they made war again upon the Philistines. The occasion was this:
Eli, the high priest, had two sons, Hophni and Phineas. These
sons of Eli were guilty of injustice towards men, and of impiety
towards God, and abstained from no sort of wickedness. Some of
their gifts they carried off, as belonging to the honorable
employment they had; others of them they took away by
violence. They also were guilty of impurity with the women that
came to worship God at the tabernacle, obliging some to submit
to their lust by force, and enticing others by bribes; nay, the
whole course of their lives was no better than tyranny. Their
father therefore was angry at them for such their wickedness,
and expected that God would suddenly inflict his punishments
upon them for what they had done. The multitude took it
heinously also. And as soon as God had foretold what calamity
would befall Eli's sons, which he did both to Eli himself and to
Samuel the prophet, who was yet but a child, he openly showed
his sorrow for his sons' destruction.

2. I will first despatch what I have to say about the prophet
Samuel, and after that will proceed to speak of the sons of Eli,
and the miseries they brought on the whole people of the
Hebrews. Elcanah, a Levite, one of a middle condition among his
fellow citizens, and one that dwelt at Ramathaim, a city of the
tribe of Ephraim, married two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. He had
children by the latter; but he loved the other best, although
she was barren. Now Elcanah came with his wives to the city
Shiloh to sacrifice, for there it was that the tabernacle of God
was fixed, as we have formerly said. Now when, after he had
sacrificed, he distributed at that festival portions of the
flesh to his wives and children, and when Hannah saw the other
wife's children sitting round about their mother, she fell into
tears, and lamented herself on account of her barrenness and
lonesomeness; and suffering her grief to prevail over her
husband's consolations to her, she went to the tabernacle to
beseech God to give her seed, and to make her a mother; and to
vow to consecrate the first son she should bear to the service
of God, and this in such a way, that his manner of living should
not be like that of ordinary men. And as she continued at her
prayers a long time, Eli, the high priest, for he sat there
before the tabernacle, bid her go away, thinking she had been
disordered with wine; but when she said she had drank water, but
was in sorrow for want of children, and was beseeching God for
them, he bid her be of good cheer, and told her that God would
send her children.

3. So she came to her husband full of hope, and ate her meal
with gladness. And when they had returned to their own country
she found herself with child, and they had a son born to them,
to whom they gave the name of Samuel, which may be styled one
that was asked of God. They therefore came to the
tabernacle to offer sacrifice for the birth of the child, and
brought their tithes with them; but the woman remembered the
vows she had made concerning her son, and delivered him to Eli,
dedicating him to God, that he might become a
prophet. Accordingly his hair was suffered to grow long, and his
drink was water. So Samuel dwelt and was brought up in the
temple. But Elcanah had other sons by Hannah, and three
daughters.

4. Now when Samuel was twelve years old, he began to prophesy:
and once when he was asleep, God called to him by his name; and
he, supposing he had been called by the high priest, came to
him: but when the high priest said he did not call him, God did
so thrice. Eli was then so far illuminated, that he said to him,
Indeed, Samuel, I was silent now as well as before: it is God
that calls thee; do thou therefore signify it to him, and say, I
am here ready." So when he heard God speak again, he desired him
to speak, and to deliver what oracles he pleased to him, for he
would not fail to perform any ministration whatsoever he should
make use of him in; to which God replied, "Since thou art here
ready, learn what miseries are coming upon the Israelites, such
indeed as words cannot declare, nor faith believe; for the sons
of Eli shall die on one day, and the priesthood shall be
transferred into the family of Eleazar; for Eli hath loved his
sons more than he hath loved my worship, and to such a degree as
is not for their advantage." Which message Eli obliged the
prophet by oath to tell him, for otherwise he had no inclination
to afflict him by telling it. And now Eli had a far more sure
expectation of the perdition of his sons; but the glory of
Samuel increased more and more, it being found by experience
that whatsoever he prophesied came to pass accordingly. (22)